Dead To A Demon
by Coolness121
Summary: I lived, I died. That was it. That was all there was supposed to be, but somehow I am roped into becoming a tool for someone else to use. I wasn't happy, but maybe...maybe this time I can make it different. You say this world is full of Devils? Well, what's a Devil to the Demon of The Hidden Mist?
1. Chapter 1

Ch 1: A Brave New World

* * *

Pain.

Pain he knew. It was an old friend that reared its head to remind you you were alive.

Cold.

He was cold as the heavens opened up and began to softly snow. The white flecks slowly falling down as if the heavens themselves chose snow to mourn the passing of Haku.

Rage.

Rage was his right hand. It fueled him for so long, it became him. He became _it._ He knew _nothing_ but rage for so many days, he forgot what it was to be without it. He raged at his parents for leaving him, he raged at his bloody upbringing, he raged at Yagura for tainting the village he grew to love, and he raged against that _bastard_ Gato for utterly _disrespecting_ Haku's body like that.

Hatred.

Oh he hated a lot of things; more things than he liked. Hatred and Rage were what kept him going in the days after his failed assassination and life as a missing-nin. Until Haku came along and those things lessened just a bit.

Sorrow.

Sorrow was a new one, but as he gazed one last time at Haku's lifeless face on this Kami forsaken bridge, it throbbed in his chest. A sharp pain that sprung forth from the blonde haired boys words before he made his last request.

Regret.

He didn't regret. He knew the life he led would be a thankless one. One filled with blood, death, heartache, and loss. That was the life he led. It was the life he knew. He didn't regret it.

Happiness.

Few and far in between, happiness was something he rarely ever felt. He didn't even know if he was capable of that emotion.

Pride.

Pride in himself, in his brothers of the sword, in Haku. He was one of the **Seven Swordsmen of The Mist**. He had every right to be proud.

Love.

Had he ever loved anything truly? The face of his ward flashed before his eyes.

Darkness encroached all around him as snow fell onto his bloodied body.

 _Yeah_ , he thought as his eyes closed for a final time, _I guess I have._

.

.

.

" **Zabuza Momochi…Demon Of The Hidden Mist…"**

Zabuza didn't know where he was. He couldn't move a single part of his body, and felt like he was floating? He moved his eyes around, but saw nothing but darkness. All consuming darkness. The darkness they told you about as a child to keep you on the straight and narrow.

A flicker of purple lit up his vision before it became blinding. After the light died down enough, to his right sat a deep purple flame, flickering like the light from a lamp. From one birthed another and another and another until a circle was formed. The circle of flickering flames connected to one another too form a solid ring of luminescent fire that shifted colors into various shades of violet.

" **You have been judged…and here you are…,"**

His eyes widened. There was that voice again. It's low, deep tenor reverberated in his being. Raspy like smoke, it seemed to choke the space it pervaded. It chilled him to his core, like he was submerged into an icy lake. A presence grew in front of him, inside of the ring of fire.

" **Your soul is… peculiar...We did not think it possible… for a Human to become…** _ **a Demon**_ **… without outside influence...You are an...** _ **impossibility**_ **brought into reality…,"** the raspy voice continued

Was it…was it the presence in the ring of fire that was speaking to him? It is the only thing that made sense.

Not that any of this made that much sense anyways.

" **You are…correct...** _ **Demon**_ **Of The Hidden Mist…We cannot come before you in my true form…or your soul would cease to exist…entirely...It is not yet time...We are curious of you and your...** _ **potential…"**_

His what? His potential? What would a disembodied voice want with him. What would death want with him?

" **Close…but We are what comes after for those deemed...unworthy of...** _ **Takama-ga-hara…"**_

The words were hissed out with unrestrained disdain. A feeling he found familiar as he felt the same about Kiri. He always felt the "high heavenly plane" was a place he'd never make it. He knew his soul was destined for Yomi the day he resolved to kill his entire graduating class with naught but his hands and a kunai. It was the day Zabuza Momochi died and the Demon Of The Bloody Mist was born. If this was Yomi, there would be only one god down here able to speak to him.

Izanami-no-Mikoto, the goddess of creation and death.

What do you want with me?

" **Yes… yes… I am her as she…is I, and We have an interest in** _ **you**_ **...After the Shinigami delivered your soul to us… we found it tainted with an…energy not unlike that of the demons that reside here in this forsaken realm…a powerful demon at that…one that had the power to act as my…Champion…"**

...HUH?!

" **We died and am stuck here in Yomi…My own** _ **husband**_ **left me here… alone...forgotten...We hear of the tales he had weaved to the ones in heaven...to the humans of how** _ **hideous**_ **We are…of how** _ **evil**_ **We are...that We are the monster...they have forgotten that it was from OUR WOMB CAME ALL OF WHAT THEY KNOW!…"**

At her outburst, the flames darkened and roared with a fury matching her tone of voice. The flames grew as the goddess, now incensed, continued her tirade.

" **We did all of the work while he did NOTHING. We suffered the pain, the agony of birth until WE DIED!...The sex wasn't even** _ **good...**_ **and he abandoned Us…"**

The flames calmed as the goddesses voice turned somber yet spiteful.

" _ **We**_ **weren't the ones to murder a baby… my baby boy…my little spitfire…"**

Zabuza saw the flames morph and move until the vaguely resembled what he could only guess was meant to be a baby.

" **...My Kagu-tsuchi…"**

The flames died down and returned to the idle ring.

Zabuza was reeling after the goddesses tirade. Who knew her husband was such a prick? Leaving her here _and_ killing a innocent baby. His own child no less. Babies weren't to be killed. Babies represented purity, innocence. Everything a shinobi wasn't, and Zabuza had made it a rule of his to never bring harm onto children unlike one of his sword-brothers.

A man with shark-esque features flashed before his mind's eye.

He considered his options for a moment. He was dead, that was much was clear to him. He had accepted his dying long before he even became a shinobi. Nobody alive would mourn nor miss him. This was a chance to...to…to do what exactly?

" **Oh...Our mistake...As Our Champion…it would be as if you were of Our own blood...Kin...and unlike those that are given…complicated tasks… We only have one for you to fulfill…"**

There was a pause, as if a breath was taken for anticipation.

" **...We wish for you… to exact Our** _ **retribution**_ **… onto Our dearest husband...Izanagi-no-mikoto…"**

Shock. Zabuza almost couldn't render what he just heard. She wanted him to kill a god. Not just any god, but Izanagi-no-mikoto himself? He didn't even know where to start or how he'd accomplish such a feat.

" **Do not worry… yourself about such things yet...We do not want you… to actively seek out Our** _ **husband**_ **...A...prick…he might be… but weak he is not… you are not yet ready to take him on… but you can be… Become Our Champion… and become…strong… powerful...a true Demon...I have the power to restore you into… the world outside of the reach of the...Elemental Nations… where you would begin anew… and carve your name into legend… and reach your true potential…All you have to do… is accept…"**

Zabuza's instincts were telling him he was in over his head. That he was biting off more than he could chew if he was to accept it, and years of doing odd jobs and being hired muscle, he grew a sense for when he was in over his head. There were so many red flags about it, but…what did he have to lose? With Haku, he risked getting into something he couldn't get the both of them out of, but now? He had nothing to lose and everything to gain. A new life with no Hunter-nin chasing him. No more having to constantly look over his shoulder.

A fresh start.

Zabuza wasn't the type to get all sappy or emotional about anything, but he'd be lying if he said a fresh start wasn't something he didn't think sounded great. Almost too good to be true, but that was the life of a shinobi. Always something underneath the underneath. He'd learn what it was eventually, but for now he was sold. So he uttered the words that would change his life forever

I accept.

" **Good…Then be reborn...Demon Of The Bloody Mist… Be reborn as the Champion of Izanami...Goddess of creation and death… May the world learn your name and mine once again!..."**

As she spoke the violet flames gained a shade of black within them. The ring broke apart into several pieces which floated up right in front of his eyes. They began to spin faster and faster until they become indistinguishable from one another.

He began to burn.

Zabuza looked down where he felt the fire and he could now see his body.

Then it caught on fire.

It climbed from his feet, to his knees and kept continuing. He was being roasted alive! His mind screamed out in agony as the flames ate at him with a unstoppable hunger.

It was up to his chest, climbing his neck as his eyes flashed back to the spinning flames. Instead of nothing he saw a woman. No not a regular woman, a goddess.

Pale skin that looked soft to the touch, inky black hair that framed the side of her face, eyes accentuated with violet and black not unlike the flames themselves, rosy cheeks, delicate lips with the top being black and the bottom violet, and eyes the color of the sun.

" **I'll be watching you...Zabuza."**

His world was engulfed in flames and he knew no more.

When he awoke, Zabuza had no idea where in the flying _fuck_ he was. His head throbbed suddenly as the memories of what occurred hit him with all the force of a swing from the _Kabutowari_.

Wait…was the sky _purple_?

Zabuza gaped for a moment at the oddly colored sky before shaking it off. He patted himself all over his body and almost whooped in joy at actually feeling his body.

The experience in Yomi left him unsettled to say the the least. Being aware yet unable to move or know you have a body was something he wished to never experience again. He could move, he could see…he could see that his body was that of a teenagers again!

He had on a basic sleeveless top, some ratty pants, and no shoes.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" He really did holler this time.

Even good voice was different. It wasn't the same low, tenor it used to be. It was a bit higher, and not at all what he had grown accustomed to. If he had to guess, he'd say he was 17 or 18 in body. He racked his memory for a moment, and let his shoulders droop in relief as he was able to recall his previous life. He licked the inside of his mouth and smiled sharply. His teeth were still filed down sharp.

Good. That made his intimidation factor still legible. Get into your opponents mind and that makes the fight ten times easier.

He could only guess why Izanami reverted him to a younger age, but left all his memories. It was an odd combination that would take some time getting used to, but first he needed to make heads or tails about where he was.

One final check, he thought to himself. Chakra.

He reached within himself where he knew his chakra core would be, but instead found…something else in its place. Where his chakra was blue, like everyone else's, his had turned purple, violet almost. It flowed just like chakra, but it felt lighter. Faster almost. Not as powerful definitely, but it felt as if he had more of this than what he had of chakra. He would take a closer look at it and see if he could actually use it later. For now, he would figure out where he was.

He could always beat someone to death his hands. He hadn't done enough of that lately.

He took a quick gaze around and saw that he was surrounded by nothing but destroyed trees and uprooted ground. It looked like a fight happened. He sniffed the air, having at this age trained his nose to be able to decipher scents, and smelled sulfur, ash, water, and… was that blood?

Blood meant the fight was over and someone was dead and the body was not far

Zabuza climbed to his feet unsteady with a grunt and almost fell right back over from the vertigo that hit him. He blinked rapidly, getting rid of the dots that shattered themselves throughout his vision and steadied himself.

Probably after effects of being reincarnated, he thought to himself.

He sniffed again and began to follow the smell of blood, which oddly grew stronger as the smell of water did. He was careful to navigate the terrain, as it was utterly wrecked.

Trees were destroyed, the ground cratered and disintegrated as if someone took a _Katon_ technique and multiplied it by 10 to it, and the air felt heavy. It was the same heavy after a fight between two Jonin who specialized in _Ninjutsu_.

 **BOOM!**

A resounding explosion reverberated through the ground, and Zabuza had to force himself to to be thrown across the ground. He looked up and could see smoke rising into the air.

I guess that's where the action is.

Bending at the knees, the reincarnated ninja began running towards the smoke. Most would say to run the other way, but most weren't Zabuza Momochi.

He spit in the face of danger and then snapped its neck for daring to think he was afraid.

In a few lengthy strides, Zabuza found himself at what could only be described as a village.

Or the remnants of one at least.

Buildings were on fire, bodies littered the streets. Some with weaponry poking out of them, others smoking as if they were struck by lightning, some looking as if they were missing parts of their bodies, and some dead with shards of ice in their bodies.

Some even had odd looking leathery wings!

Zabuza took a closer look and saw that some of the bodies wore identical armor. It seemed as if two opposing groups decided to do battle here in this town.

So, he began in his head as he surveyed the damage to the town. It looked like two sides clashed in the middle of this village and the civilians were caught in the crossfire.

What had he walked into?

This kind of scene he was familiar with due to the civil war in Kiri. Two sides fighting and the civilians getting caught in between.

Haku called it a waste of life, and at the time Zabuza just called it life. He guessed it was life like that where Izanami sent him too.

If he was to be caught up in some sort of war yet again, he wish the goddess had given him his _Kubikiribōchō_ back, but he doubted it would be that easy. It was a one of a kind sword. Not another one like it in the history of the world, and… and

.

.

.

His eyes caught a familiar glint of metal in one of the abandoned buildings. He entered and he knew it was a blacksmith, but what gripped his attention was the giant blade resting on the wall. Zabuza smiled from ear to ear as he approached the weapon. He plucked out from the wall, waste not want not, and hefted it into the air. His arms shook with the effort, he was younger and less accustomed to the weight of it after all, but the familiarity was unable to be denied. He swung it a few times in the air, the sharp blade slicing through the space it cut into easily. Yes, he was loving this new life already. There was no way this was just a coincidence. Izanami really knew what buttons to push to get on his good side, eh?

" _Kubikiribōchō,"_ he whispered almost reverently. He snatched the harness from the stand next to it and tightened it into his back. He placed _Kubikiribōchō_ into it and felt complete at the added weight on his back. Like a piece that he'd been missing for all of the few minutes he'd been alive had been had been found.

It felt right.

 **BOOM! CRASH!**

Zabuza's attention snapped to the sounds of fighting and dashed away towards it, hand on the handle of his sword and ready for a fight. He was feeling more confident with his trusted blade by his side. Chakra or no, he was still a swordsman at his core, and whoever he came up against would learn that soon.

He guessed he was in the city square. Any greenery and scenery had been scorched and totaled. Food stands and shops and houses lie in ruin around the courtyard. Some burning and some completely leveled, but what caught his attention was the scene playing out in the middle by the cracked fountain. It looked like a last stand.

There was a group of individuals, Zabuza still didn't know what they called themselves, all fighting one girl. They hadn't noticed him yet, so he decided to get a closer view of the events.

He hopped onto a roof that wasn't caved in or on fire silently and crouched low.

It would seem that it was a universal thing for people not to look up.

With a new angle he could see there were colored seal circles being summoned rapidly throughout the sky and air expelling various energy and constructs. Lightning, fire, or just pure energy from the seeming aggressors. All of this was being taken and dished right back by their target.

A single black haired girl. She was short, he noticed. Short with long black hair tied into two long ponytails that couldn't in any way be practical. Long hair was a luxury only the most skilled individuals could afford, but seeing as it was one against a group, it was a luxury she could afford.

Deep blue seals appeared in front of her and out shot bullets of water at her enemies. She was given no breathing room after her attack as she flared her wings and dodged a blazing red fireball that hit where she was.

So she's where the scent of water was coming from.

Another deep seal appeared in front of her and she shot her fists out. From the seal came a roaring water dragon with glowing purple eyes. It winded around its master before shooting out towards the one who shot the fireball. The fire user had a red seal appear in front of him, but the water dragon was too swift and blasted through the seal with the sound of breaking glass. The man was devoured by the beast and piledrived into the ground where he didn't get up again.

That seemed to anger the remaining members of the little troupe, 4 Zabuza counted, and wondered how it would play off. He glanced at the girl and saw her admittedly huge chest bouncing as she began to breathe in harder.

Did women hear _not_ wrap their chests? Honestly he had not seen boobs that big since he walked in on Mei changing that one day. The resulting lava flow that came after him was totally uncalled for. How was he supposed to know she was changing? And so what if he didn't look away? What was he supposed to do? Act like they weren't there? That just didn't make any sense to him.

The fatigued girl took in deep breathes. That technique must've either taken a lot out of her or she had been fighting for a while. Fighting multiple opponents would do that to you. It spoke volumes of her skill that she was still standing er- floating.

"Just give up, Sitri!" One of the attackers commanded. Yellow seals appeared in front of her and crackled with electricity as she spoke. "Surrender and we will treat the low class-Devils you are guarding with the hospitality of the Old Satan Faction"

The girl, Sitri, took a breath in and Zabuza could see the anger on her face take override the exhaustion she was feeling. "The only _hospitality_ you people know isn't hospitality at all! It's cruelty!"

Her back straightened despite the obvious exhaustion written all over her in shaky knees and labored breaths. A giant icy blue seal blazed into existence underneath her feet and the girl began unleashing her presence.

She became outlined in a pale blue. Her tattered grey uniform whipped up at the sudden release of energy. Her black hair rose as well and flared around wildly at the air that was being pushed away as she her power grew to even greater heights. Her gaze was bone chilling blue, and as her presence grew the seal got bigger. As it got bigger, the world around her got colder.

Zabuza noticed the frost creeping across the ground and up the sides of the buildings and stands. It was growing in unison to her power, no. It was coming from her!

This kind of presence was unreal! It was on par with that of a Kage-no, it had surpassed that of a Kage's! Who was this girl? How was she so strong?

The Devils around her staggered back a step, but one who spoke first seemed to regrow a little spine.

"D-don't get cocky! It doesn't matter how strong you are, Sitri!" Her voice grew in strength as she flared her own power in response and began to crackle with electricity. The other Devils around her flared their own as well and it grew to overshadow that of Sitri's.

"You will die just like the trash you are!" The woman rebuked hatefully.

In a flash of light a lightning bolt arched from her hands and towards Sitri. The lighting was blocked by a shield of ice that shattered immediately after.

He focused in harder. The ice did not surprise him due to the frost that had gripped the ground. So she used ice?

He pointedly ignored the throb in his chest, but the memory of another ice user with long black hair flashed across his vision.

Sitri threw up another hasty shield that absorbed the beam of energy that was shot from her left, and it shot it back at the attacker. The dip in her reserves made her realize not to do the again. Devil swiftly glided out of the way, and took aim again.

Sitri prepared to throw an ice spike at him, but was forced to fly backwards and avoid the sword that came flying past her face. The swordsman flew up with a rising slash, Sitri dodged it and kicked him in the chest to get him away. She had to erect another in order to block the speedy projectiles coming from her right. Pinned under the fire she decided to do something about it and pushed the shield into the Devil. It smacked into the Devil, and stopped the firing.

She was given no time to breathe as she came under assault from multiple angles. All aiming with lethal intent. She knew she couldn't keep this up forever, but she had to. For the innocent Devils hiding it and for the Devils lying dead who believed in her.

She couldn't lose. She _wouldn't_ lose.

An explosion at her back rocketed her to the ground, and she just barely stopped herself in time to only stumble into a roll. She grimaced at her stinging back and tried to flex her wings, but they wouldn't respond.

That bitch must've shocked my wings, she realized frustratingly. She got up shakily, exhaustion and pain making every move laborious. Her instincts screamed to dodge and she barely rolled out of the way of the sword that was aiming for her head. She had to dodge fast, faster than her body took kind to, at the rapid thrusts that came for her head. She kept moving back until get back hit a wall.

She ducked in time as the sword was embedded into the house. She rolled away and tried threw a freeze at the swordsman's hands around the handle. Now frozen with his sword stuck in the wall she prepared an ice spike to kill him, but a magical missile made her change her plans. She leaped away, but right into a chain that wrapped around her wrist. It tugged at her and Serafall could do nothing as she was whipped into the side of a building. Her head rung at the impact and her vision was filled with stars. Quickly she froze the chain and snapped it, freeing herself. She staggered up and saw the blood dripping down onto the ground.

She felt softly around her scalp and winced at the wet sensation she got. Things were not looking good for her. Odds not in her favor, low on magic, 7 to 1 with no escape in sight? Definitely not how she thought her day would end up. But she refused to give up. Innocent Devils were counting on her. Her friends, her family were counting on her to come back to them alive.

She'd never forgive herself if she didn't.

Quickly she constructed a ice spear and spun it in the air. She saw the magic missle coming her way and smacked them away from her. They exploded behind her, but she paid it no mind as she focused on her opponents.

She heard the tell tale nose of chain links and her eyes darted to the bulky figure rushing her with chains wrapped around his fists.

She ducked a heavy overhead right and danced into his guard. She thrust her spear up into his chin, but to her shock the point snapped off as it failed to penetrate his skin. She stepped back quickly and went with the tried and true.

She swung her staff with all the force she could muster up right into his balls.

The giant of a man reflexively grabbed at his abused balls and staggered back. Serafall took the opening and ran with. She spun her staff and swung it into the side of his knee, bending him. She danced around his wild swing and shot a blast ice until his eyes, blinding him momentarily.

Her staff swung out and hit the back of his knee, dropping him onto one. She smacked him in the side the head with it, jarring the man, and hooked her staff underneath his chin. Her senses tingled and she looked up to see 3 magic missiles flying and a beam of lightning flying towards her. Acting quickly, she pulled the beefy man around and placed him in front of her. She held him there and let the magic attacks him.

The resulting explosion knocked Serafall away and further singed her clothes. She coughed but quickly got to her feet. She tried to move away, but her feet got caught. She locked down and saw a chain wrapped around her ankles. She looked to the cloud of smoke and felt the chain tighten magically.

In a moment she was taken off of her feet and into the air. She yelled as she was spun around and around until it let her go and she was sent flying well into the sky.

Right into a bolt of lightning.

The lightning careened into her body she was lit up from the inside out by the magic. She let loose a scream of pain as her nerve endings were assaulted by the energy, but the attack wasn't over.

The bolt of lightning kept her locked in the air until several magic missiles impacted her body. The two magics clashed and Serafall exploded.

Zabuza winced as the girl hit the ground with a dull **THUMP**. She lay there on her back, bleeding out, the image was overlaid with that of Haku's corpse.

"Even in another life you have me feeling sentimental, Haku," he whispered into the air. He gripped the handle of _Kubikiribōchō._ "I guess you're wanting me to save her then?"

He received no answer, but the girl stirring from the hard hits she just took.

"Hmm, tough girl. I guess it's time for me to play the hero," he said to himself and disappeared in a blur of speed.

Serafall groaned in pain and but her lip to stop herself from screaming out as she tried to move her body.

C'mon, get up!

She tried to sit up but it was to no avail.

Get up, damnit!

She couldn't even roll over to push get self up. The lighting must've locked her muscles up.

I said get. Up.

Muscles straining, veins bulging, Serafall tried to will herself off of the ground.

She raged against the exhaustion, against the pain, against everything in her way.

Slowly she began to rise, but a boot punting her in the side of the head took care of any progress she had made. Her vision saw for a moment before it refocused.

Her eyes trailed up the leg of the foot that kicked her in the face and snarled at the face. It was that bitch who kept shocking her. That's why her pixie cut was uneven.

"The trash can't move?" The woman asked, feigning surprise. A sinister smile grew on her face as a magical circle appeared in front of her.

"Scream for me, trash."

A bolt of lightning shot towards the downed Serafall. Serafall grit her teeth as the lightning coursed through her causing an untold amount of pain and making her sore body twitch. The lightning continued on for what seemed like hours until the woman let it drop with a sigh.

"Oh well, she won't scream," the woman cocked her hip and put a thoughtful look on her face. "Hmm, maybe we can just use you for other… purposes," she suggested with a lustful look on her eyes.

Serafall felt dread pool in her gut. No! She refused! She tried again to move, but again the woman's foot flew into the side of her face. She tried to say something but get jaw had locked due to the electricity coursing through her.

"Oh, poor baby," the woman kneeled down by Serafall and patted her face. "It's not your fault your _trash_ just like the rest of your miserable group," she tilted her head before laughing. "Oh wait, it is!"

The woman laughed aloud as her partners came forward and surrounded Serafall.

"See, we knew you'd be here to protect the "innocents"," the woman said with air quotes. "So we were ready for you before you and your little soldiers got here. We wanted to tire you out, then get you alone, so we could finally finish you off. We knew you were too prideful to ask for help from your little friends, but as the humans say. Pride cometh before fall."

At her words, Serafall wilted. She knew rushing off was a bad idea. Sirzechs told her as such, but she was in the area and knew she could help. She didn't need a better reason than that, but they played her. Her! An Ultimate Class-Devil.

Brought low due to get own hubris.

Serafall felt something she'd wish to never feel again. The reason she grew strong as she did, to prevent this very same feeling.

Helpless.

Helpless and hopeless she was, Serafall Sitri refused to give in. She was a Sitri. They did not bend. They did not break. She would look her captors in the eye and let them know she would not give in to them.

Suddenly a thick mist rolled into the courtyard obscuring her vision.

Serafall could feel the magic within it. Water magic, she thought to herself, but who-

Suddenly she was pulled away into the shadows of a building. Her eyes frantically went and locked onto the face of the man who dragged her to safety. He looked dangerous. Pale tan skin framed his face, along with dark colored short spiky hair, dark brown eyes, and really small eyebrows. Honestly if the situation was different she'd point that out, but he was currently holding a hand to her mouth.

He put a finger to his lips in a universal shushing motion before releasing her mouth.

Outside she heard the Devil's clamoring about wondering where the mist came from.

Serafall knew, but she wondered what he was going to do. She saw him look back out before nodding a little. He was going back out there?

No, no way. They needed to escape. To leave while they could! She too weak and they were at least High Class-Devils themselves. He couldn't fight them. She struggled to reach out to him, her arm twitchy, and she succeeded in running her fingers across his hand.

His eyes pinned her and she forgot whatever it is she might've tried to say. She knew that look in eyes. She saw it in the mirror, she saw on reflected in her comrades leading the New Satan Faction.

The look of danger. Ready to fight and rip and tear through anything that got in their way.

He smiled at her and Serafall was shocked at the shark like teeth that are revealed to her.

The look of a predator.

He gripped something over his shoulder, and Serafall took noticed the handle poking out over his shoulder for a second before he disappeared in a blur of speed.

She strained to listen to the fight and involuntary felt a shiver run down her spine as his voice hit her ear drums.

"Eight points…"

* * *

So yeah, here I am. New story. It has been a long time and a lot has happened, since I last uploaded something. College, life, good things, and a ton of bad, but I am back and I am here to stay. At the moment I am currently typing up new chapters to everything I feel the motivation for and even those I _don't_ feel the motivation for. It is a long process, but I want to make them quality and I want to make a lot of them too. Quality and quantity. I know a lot if you probably forgot about a lot of my other stuff, but that's okay. I will make you remember it with awesome updates. Till next time!


	2. Chapter 2: Fresh Foot Forwards

Ch 2: Fresh Foot Forwards

* * *

" _Eight points Larynx, Spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart. Which one will I choose today, hehehe."_

The squad of High Class-Devils felt a shiver run up their spines at the disembodied baritone voice they heard scattered through the mist.

The leader, one Rosaline Seere, growled in frustration at the thick mist. She pointed to the member in the back, Wulling Cimerius a son of one of the lesser pillar families, and yelled out a command to him. "Blow this mist away! Serafall is still here, and I will not allow her to escape."

He nodded quickly. Practiced in all forms of magic, as was the trait of the Cimerius family, a light green magic circle appeared on both sides of him, and out pulsed twin blasts of wing. The mist was pushed back, but it quickly rolled back into the spaces it was displaced.

Confusion was written on Wulling's face. That couldn't be right. He might not be the most advanced in wind magic, but was proficient. The spell should have blew the mist away.

At the expectant look of the team leader, he tried again, but only found similar results.

"What, can't even do a simple wind spell correctly?" she snapped at him.

Wulling swallowed down his embarrassment, but couldn't look her in the eye. "I-its the mist, ma'am. It is too thick. The magic that created it is too powerful for a simple wind spell to overcome," he explained meekly.

A pattering of feet interrupted whatever response Rosaline was about to give. That silenced any conversation, as the Devils readied themselves for a fight…

But none came to them.

Silence ensued once more.

It was an eerie silence. One that put you on edge, made you jumpy and paranoid. He strained his enhanced hearing to its limits to try to get a lock on whoever was causing this thick mist. He saw rather than heard the mist sway right next to his comrade and he called it out.

"To your right!" He yelled and blasted out a magic missile. The bolt of magic whiffed and darted through the mist hitting nothing. The other three turned to him, and glared.

"Don't be throwing magic around right next to me, you dumbass," he growled lowly at him and threateningly held up his chain covered fists.

Wulling shrinked back from the intimidating Devil.

"I'm sorry. I thought I…"

He tapered off from his apology as a sound hit his ears. What was that noise? It sounded like…

"Get down!" Their final member yelled. The swordsman grabbed Rosalie and pulled her to the ground, Wulling dove as fast as he could, and prepared his magic.

A giant weapon came whirring through the air at a blurring speed. It was flying through the mist one second and in the next it was out of their sight.

He rose slowly as the other two did, and assessed his condition. He was still in one piece.

In the next moment he was splattered with blood, and a head hit the ground soon after. It landed with a dull thwack, and the body teetered for a moment before collapsing bonelessly onto the ground.

"What the fuck was that?!" He heard yelled, but he was too caught up staring at the dead eyes of the severed head on the ground. He...they…

He looked up, saw his other comrades moving back to back, and snapped out of his daze. He needed to-

" _Boo_."

He couldn't even release a noise his throat was seized, and he was yanked away from his comrades. He struggled frantically. No! Please no!

He felt a hand the hands pull, and he knew no more.

A silent crack was let off, and Zauza lowered the body to the ground silently, neck snapped.

Well that's two down, Zabuza thought to himself. Two more to go. He dashed back into the mist, more silent than a whisper.

She didn't know what was going on. Everything was going according to plan. They had the bitch dead to rights before this fucking mist showed up. She stood back to back with her partner. She knew his sword was at the ready, and she had her magic at her fingertips. They heard movement and turned just in time to see the mist swallow another one of them whole.

"What the fuck is happening right now?" She hissed out under her breath. She had just lost two elite Devils in the matter of seconds. That was unacceptable. They were highly trained High Class-Devils.

"We aren't afraid of you, trash!" She laughed a little, suddenly emboldened by her own thoughts. "You can't hide from us forever, Serafall!" She called out.

" _You should be afraid, little girl,_ " She heard whispered in her ear. She turned frantically, but there was no one there. Her partner, her brother, was looking around, sword out and ready.

"Did you hear that?" she asked him. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and shook his head slightly in negative.

" _He can't hear you, girl. It's just you and me,"_ now she heard it in her other ear. She turned to it, but again there was no one. Her eyes frantically darted all around her. This mist was too damn thick! She couldn't see a fucking thing! It felt as if it was closing in, moving to suffocate her. A misty hand slowly sliding up to her throat, fingers wrapping around her windpipe, and the slow pressure taking away her ability to breathe.

She couldn't breathe! She choked, as her hands scrambled to her throat, trying to pry the hands she felt away, but to no avail. Her lungs refused to bring air in, the passageway clenched shut. It was too much! The pressure in her brain screaming at her to take in fresh air, but the hand constricting her throat was unrelenting.

"...osaline...Rosal…"

Her vision was darkening. She felt her knees give out and hit the ground, unable to support her weight anymore. She wheezing tried to take a breathe and

SMACK

"Rosaline snap out of it! You're okay, just breathe!" her brother yelled in her face.

Cheek stinging from the slap Rosaline felt the world rushing back to her. She took deep gasping breaths as the familiar presence of her sibling brought her back.

"I need you to get up Ros. I need you up to watch my back, okay? Just like old times, eh?" He wasn't looking at her. His eyes were watching around the both of them, sword at the ready still, but Rosaline caught the glance and smirk he sent her from the side.

She swallowed thickly, eyes burning from unshed tears, her legs feeling like jelly, but was able to nod to herself. She could do this. She, she could…

Her mind flashing back to the suffocation she swore was real. The hands around her throat, the gasping for breathe, the creeping darkness. It couldn't have been just get imagination, right?

" _You are nothing but a weakling!"_ The voice taunted

"I-I am not weak. I am a High Class-Devil. I am Rosaline Seere." she whispered to the voice weakly. She wasn't sure if that was more to convince herself or it.

" _Hehehe, you're nothing. You're a weakling. You're useless,"_ the voice continued to taunt at her. She put hands to cover her ears. She wouldn't listen! It didn't know her! It was speaking nothing but lies.

A weapon clattering to the ground broke her out of her consuming thoughts, and she looked to see her brother's sword lying on the ground a few feet away from her. No...not her brother. Not him. They, they- they were supposed to be always watch each other's back…

And she couldn't even did that. She really was useless.

" _Was that your partner? I'm sorry, he's a little...choked up right now. Hehehe."_

W-what was going on? This wasn't supposed to be happening! This was supposed to be easy!

She frantically looked everywhere, but saw nothing but thick mist. It felt suffocating! As if it was pressing in on her, moment after moment. She swallowed dryly, her breathing became heavier, and her eyes frantically bounced around looking desperately for whoever was causing this.

She heard movement come from behind her as she unleashed a powerful blast of lightning from her hands, screaming as she did. She unleashed deadly volts from her hands until she couldn't anymore. She panted, hands smokey, as she finally ended the stream of power. Had she done it? There no way anything could have survived that.

She was right.

A body tipped forward and she screamed in horror. It was the body of her brother. His body smoking, skin blackened and twitching from the blast she gave it. She cupped a hand over her mouth in shock, as tears ran down her face in waves.

She had just killed her own brother.

No, no, no, no. This can't be happening, she thought to herself. This couldn't be happening!

She had to get out of this mist, so she started running. She ran and ran and ran until she ran face first into what felt like a brick wall. She bounced off with a thud and landed on her butt. She groaned and rubbed at her head as she got up. She opened her eyes and her heart stopped dead in chest.

It was a monster. A cold blooded monster. Cold dark eyes, a fanged smile that looked ready to tear her to pieces, and oh that sword. It looked like an oversize butcher's knife, and it was aimed right at her throat. He was the butcher and she was the meat.

She gulped, paralyzed with fear. She felt a pressure unleash itself onto her and she she saw herself die 10 times over. Her head separated from her shoulders, her body but in half at the waist, her being skewered on the blade before being left to bleed it. Power wafted off of him in shades of violet and from behind him rose an utterly terrifying visage. It grew to overshadow her. It felt malevolent, evil. It swallowed her whole until she forgot where she started and it began.

"I-impossible. Y-you're not the Sitri. You're just some no name Devil trash," she muttered out and pointed with a shaky finger.

"Hehe, you got it all wrong, girl. I'm more than you'll ever realize," the monster said. It leered at her and the beast behind him came closer. "After all…"

The giant blade swung and a she felt was suddenly looking at her own feet.

"What's a Devil to a Demon?"

The body dropped to its knees besides the unblinking head, and blood spurted out from the neck hole.

"Well," Zabuza mused to himself as his sword consumed the blood left over on its surface, "that was fun."

* * *

Serafall wasn't sure how long she sat there recovering, but soon enough she was finally able to get up with only minor twitches in her legs. She hobbled out of the building to a rapidly fading mist, and gaped at what it revealed. Four dead bodies and one man with a giant sword standing tall. She almost couldn't believe it, but it was before her eyes.

Hmm, she thought to herself as she surveyed the bodies on the ground. Two headless, one blackened, and the other she could tell had his neck snapped.

He, though, didn't have a scratch on him.

He turned to her and Serafall met his gaze unflinching.

She straightened as much as her body allowed, but with a wince she felt her knees give from under her. She closed her eyes in preparation to meet the ground with her face, but a pair of strong arms stopped her from eating dirt.

She opened her eyes and almost flinched back at how close his face was to hers. She blushed acutely at the close proximity, and took in his admittedly handsome face.

He wasn't half bad looking. Minus the whole not having eyebrows thing. Serafall wondered to herself if the teeth were hereditary or did he file them down? He wasn't too bad looking if she was being honest.

"Tch, can't even walk by yourself?"

She took that back with a swiftness. She scowled and wiggled out of his grip. "I can walk by myself, thank you very much," she said matter of factly.

She pushed him away, a pitiful push by her standards. Oh, how she lamented her natural weakness to electricity. It was a Sitri weakness due to their affinity to water magic, but luckily enough her ice affinity dulled it a bit.

She stood and straightened herself and tried to look regal. "I thank you for your assistance. The Sitri family owes you a debt."

She expected a "You're welcome" or perhaps a humble "No problem" or maybe even a greedy "You're right".

What she got was a, "The who?"

Serafall almost face faulted at the question. She recovered quickly and answered. "The Sitri family. One of the remaining families of the 72 Pillars of Devil society. "

She received an unimpressed look. "So, what does that mean? You're like royalty or something?" He asked.

Serafall looked at him in confusion. Every Devil knew of the 72 Pillars. Literally. It was the in the foundation of their society, and this man seemed to not have a clue. Serafall thought about explaining it, but honestly? It was a bit of fresh air for someone to not be either trying to kill her, revere her, or stare at her breasts.

She glanced at his eyes and saw they were locked onto her own. A breath of fresh air indeed.

"No, technically I am not," she replied with a tired sigh, thinking of all the times people treated her as such. Like her parents.

"Oh good, cause I wouldn't have given a shit anyways," he said frankly.

Honestly, Zabuza couldn't care less about what your family was or your last name. It was just an excuse for the rich and powerful to lord it over the weak and impoverished, and when the weak decided to become strong? Well, look at him for your example.

He thought the Sitri girl would be offended. Most were to be honest, but instead she seemed to almost sag in relief.

That was different.

"I wouldn't put it… exactly like that, but I couldn't care less as well," she said. "It won't matter a lick if we lose this war after all. Now, would you care to introduce yourself, so we could get out of here? I need to report in and you need to return to your contingent of soldiers."

Zabuza raised a non existent brow. "I ain't a part of no group of soldier boys, girl. I'm a solo act," he grunted and hefted Kubikiribōchō into his shoulder. "Only me and my sword."

Serafall blinked looked from him to the giant sword. "Overcompensating for something there?" she asked indicating to the sword and then himself.

Zabuza growled at her and brandished _Kubikiribōchō_ at her chest. "Don't mistake my kindness for weakness, girl. I could cut you down right here and now without batting an eye!"

Serfall pushed the sword aside easily and leaned up into his face. She winked at him and said, "But you wouldn't hurt little ol me, would you?" she snapped her fingers as a thought hit her. "You're just a big ol softie at heart, aren't you? I bet you are!"

Zabuza growled in frustration. He was not soft! He was a cold blooded killer, damnit. His kill count was in the thousands, he was an A-ranked threat in the Bingo Book, his mastery of the Silent Killing Technique made him feared across the lands, he had come back from the dead for crying out loud!

His brow twitched heavily as he heard get continued speech about how kind he was. He was Zabuza Momochi. He ate lightning and shit out thunder!

"So who sent you after me?"

Wait what?

"Wait, what?" He asked. What was she talking about this time?

Serafall tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean what? Who sent you after me? Was it Sirzechs? I bet it was." she snapped her fingers. "One of the boys must've sent you to make sure I was alright, and you tracked me here," she nodded, confident in her deduction. "I'm glad you came when you did then. I loathe to think what may have happened if you weren't here."

Zabuza looked at her perplexed. What was she going on about? "Look, I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't even know who you are," he confessed.

That made Serafall pause and consider what she was just told. It raised many questions. She crossed her arms under her chest. "That is strange. You're telling me you weren't sent by Sirzechs to track me down?"

Zabuza sheathed his blade and crossed his own arms across his chest. He thought about being difficult just for the hell of it, but he needed answers. "No, I just happened to be in the area when I heard sounds of fighting," he replied.

It was a half truth. True that he heard fight and was in the area. Lie in the fact that he didn't tell her how he came to be in said area. That's a fact he was going to keep close to his chest. He wasn't some dumbass to go spouting to people he just met about how he came from being dead. That was so ridiculous even he could hardly believe it, and he actually had it happen to him.

She was giving away names of things that seemed important. Zabuza took note of them, and thought it'd be best from this point forward to act like he knew what she was talking about.

"That seems to good to be true," she murmured. "What were you doing out here then?" She eyed him skeptically and Zabuza quickly began to think of a cover story.

"I'm a nomad. I have no home," he told her. "I've been traveling from place to place only staying the night and then leaving. This place was to be my next stop." He saw he had her attention and elaborated. "I was coming into town, saw you were getting your ass handed to you, and decided to intervene."

A good lie, if he said so himself. Scattered with some truth to cover up the lie.

"Hmm," the skeptical look was unrelenting. Serafall disregarded the jab and asked another question. "How have you survived this long alone with the war going on?"

Zabuza took a breath as she asked that. He decided to give her a version of the truth. He didn't know how good these Devils were in detecting lies. "I had a…partner who I traveled with. We watched each other's backs."

"Where is your partner now?"

"Dead."

Serafall was expecting that to be the answer, but it didn't lessen the impact. She took notice of the way his eyes flashed with an all too familiar pain,how his hands tightened into fists, and how stiff he had become.

His partner has died and recently too. Probably meant a lot to him by the way he struggled to bury the pain behind his aggression and anger. With the war going on he probably hadn't had the time to grieve properly and had just moved on. It tugged at her heartstrings to see yet another soul affected, but it was the harsh reality they lived in. She wouldn't offer any condolences, for they would just ring hollow. She held no sympathy for Devils were not sympathetic beings. Instead she took the pain, the unfairness, and let it fuel her. She let it be her motivation to end this war.

"This war has taken a lot from a lot of people," she settled on saying. It was the best she had come up with.

So there was a war going on. A civil war if the signs were anything to go by. Hmm, good to know for the future.

He looked at the girl, and saw she was still staring off into nothing. He knew that look. It was the look of someone who'd seen too much and was remembering it. He did the only thing he knew how.

He smacked her upside the head. Lightly.

She recoiled more from shock than pain. "What was that for?"

Zabuza rolled his eyes. "You were stuck reminiscing. I thought you wanted to get out of here?" He asked her.

Serafall gave him one last glare before nodding. She wasn't going to thank him for getting her out of her memories. That slap had hurt. "You're right. I would guess you wanted to get out of here as well? This place isn't really fit for living at the moment," she said indicating to the dead bodies.

Zabuza nodded swiftly. The smell of blood was beginning to get tiring.

Serafall nodded back. "Alright, let's gooOoo," her knees gave out once more. Damned electricity. This time she really did hit the ground with a thud.

She groaned in pain and glared up at the chuckling man. "Why didn't you catch me?!"

Zabuza shrugged and laughed. "I thought you had it."

Serafall growled at him. "Oh shut up! Just help me up. That damned electricity is still in my system, so you're going to have to carry me back. It's a good distance from here though, so I'm not sure w-Whoa!"

"It's fine," he said and hoisted her up bridal style.

Why was her face all red suddenly? Was she sick or something? Was she losing blood somewhere? He hadn't seen any serious wounds on her body.

"Just give me directions, and I'll get us there," he told her.

"I'm Serafall. Serafall Sitri."

"Those aren't directions."

"Oh hush you. That was my name. The polite thing to do would be to give yours in return."

"...Zabuza Momochi."

"Was that so hard?"

"Yes."

"Tch, whatever. Just feel glad that you're able to hold me in your arms like this. Most Devils would kill to be in your position."

"Well most of them probably wouldn't last long after they heard you speak."

A brow twitch.

"Oh yea? Well, at least I have eyebrows!"

A brow twitch and scowl.

"They're just really small, and I don't know why I'm justifying myself to you. Just tell me where to go."

"Just go North and I'll tell you from there."

"You might want to hold on. I can get pretty fast."

"What does that even meEA-!"

Zabuza took off in a blur.

* * *

Sirzechs was almost besides himself in worry. Were it not for his friends holding him back in his home, he would be out there right now, searching for Serafall.

He glanced at the clock on the wall and stood up. "She's been gone too long. I'm going to go look for her," he moved to leave but a voice stopped him.

"She can take care of herself, Sirzechs," Ajuka Astaroth rolled eyes at his friends frantic expression. "If not you know I gave her the communication crystals synched with our own should she run into something she can't handle."

A lazy voice drawled out, adding his own input to the conversation that was interrupting his nap. "And we all know that there is hardly anything she can't handle."

"And if Falbium can find it within himself to wake up from his nap and remind you of that Sirzechs, then you need not worry as you are doing."

In the face of such logic Sirzechs had no choice but to fold to it. He dropped into his chair with a sigh.

He rubbed at his brow in equal parts frustration and exhaustion.

"I just don't understand why she would do something so risky," he lamented a loud.

Ajuka shrugged easily and leaned back in his own comfy leather chair. One of his best inventions yet. Well, at least Falbium thought so.

"She's as free as spirit as you are, Sirzechs. You know how she feels about the treatment of Low Class-Devils. We got the report of them terrorizing towns near the border of the territory we captured, and she spared no time to round up volunteers and do something about it," he explained.

Sirzechs acquiesced the point made once more and leaned back in his own chair and stared at the ceiling in thought. This war was taking a toll on all of them. He just wished it to be over, but rarely did miracles happen in the Underworld. His mother was pregnant. He'd be having a sibling soon, and he'd make sure that the child would NOT have to grow up like he did.

It made him into a monster. He wouldn't have his sibling grow up the same.

The door to the room they were in opened slowly, and in his Grayfia Lucifuge. His self proclaimed assistant, and wife. It was the last one put a smile on his face every time he thought about it.

Like right now.

Smiling, he turned his attention to her, and waved cheekily. "Hi, honey," he greeted cheerfully.

She, of course, didn't wave back for it was "not proper conduct" for a woman of her position, but he noticed the flash of happiness cut across her gorgeous features. Most wouldn't notice, but he had learned to be able to read her.

"Greetings, Lord Sirzechs" she spoke in a regal tone, ignoring his waving. She nodded to him and then to Ajuka and the lightly snoring Falbium. "Greetings to you two as well Lord Ajuka and Lord Falbium. Lady Serafall has returned and they are currently in the medical wing being looked over," she announced to the room.

That got their attention. Ajuka's eyes narrowed, Sirzechs almost sagged in relief, and Falbium...nope he was still asleep.

"That's great!" Sirzechs whooped. He got up from his chair excitedly. "Let's go see her right now."

He moved to leave, but Ajuka's voice stopped him.

"There is something more, isn't there?" Ajuka questioned. "You said they, and that would indicate Serfall brought someone back with her."

Grayfia nodded her head. "You are slightly correct, Lord Astaroth. They are currently two people in the medical wing, but it wasn't Lady Sitri that brought him in. It was he that brought in her. In his arms to be specific," she added at the end.

"Wait, so someone was carrying Serafall and she didn't turn him into a Devil-sicle?" Sirzechs asked.

"Who is he?" Ajuka asked frankly, cutting to the chase.

"His name is Zabuza Momochi," Grayfria answered readily to Ajuka. Sirzechs's complains of being ignored went curiously unheard. "Any further questions are more fit to me asked of him directly as he was rather not forthcoming with answers when I questioned him as be brought in," she frowned as she recalled the interaction with the man.

"Bring him in then, so we may speak to him," Sirzechs said smiling. He and Ajuka shared a look with each other as Grayfia nodded and stepped aside to allow the man inside the room.

Sirzechs sent one last wave to Grayfia, which went ignored again, as she silently backed out of the room and shut the door.

The door closed with a resounding thud, and the room went quiet as both sides sized the other up.

A slight tension filled the room, as the two Super Devils surveyed the unknown man. He was tall. Probably taller than Ajuka, Sirzechs observed. And that sword is probably for everything besides show. There was one thing that stood out to him though. One gravely important detail.

Sirzechs cleared his throat and spoke up first, breaking the silence.

"You have no eyebrows."

Cue Ajuka facepalm and Zabuza brow twitch.

* * *

Author's Note Boi

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So, boom chapter 2. This was fast, I know, but I had it written, so I said hey why not upload it. I mean, I have a lot written, know where I am going with this story, so the chapters are coming easily. Plus it is really fun to write Zabuza's interaction with everybody especially Sirzechs. He's just so fun to write for some reason. Both the comical parts, and when he is serious. This chapter is a bit shorter, I know, but that is because the next one is going to be way longer. I tried my best to write out the Silent Killing scene, and tried to really drive home the psychological part of it more than anything. The reason it was so fast was because it terrified them, and made them susceptible to Zabuza's takedowns. Just look at all the predator missions and maps from the Batman Arkham games. You had tough hardened guys, sometimes crazy strong, and when they were terrified they fell to pieces, and Batman was able to pick them off one by one. That won't always be the case of course, but for this scene it was. The Demon of The Hidden Mist is back, and he's stronger than ever.

The situation with Serafall being beaten as she was not to make her a damsel, though she did serve that purpose, but it was the give her motivation to become even stronger and to humble her. Anyone of any strength level can be taken down with a well planned ambush while being outnumbered. That is simple fact. It doesn't matter how strong you think you are. If you get caught out, then you can and will lose. That is what happened with Serafall. Don't expect it to happen again though, as it is a lesson she only needed to learn once. We don't know really anything concrete about the civil war besides Sirzechs side winning in the end and driving the Old Satan Faction into hiding. With that being said, the whole Civil War arc is totally made up by me, so don't go pointing out how thing A or thing B didn't happen because, well, YOU don't know what happened either. I do hope you enjoy it though.

Gosh this was long. I bet no one even reads these. Well, whatever. Till next time. I'm outta here!


	3. Chapter 3: What Do You Have To Lose

Ch 3: What Do You Have To Lose?

* * *

"You have no eyebrows."

Ajuka couldn't stop his own hand from reaching up to smack his own forehead.

The silence weighed heavy upon each of their shoulders. Tension rose as Zabuza's eyebrow twitched heavily at the comment about his eyebrows. Ajuka was busy groaning into his hand, and Falbium was of course dozing away.

SNORE

Yup, totally sleep.

Sirzechs was a little too obviously staring at Zabuza's brow, trying to figure out why he didn't have any. Birth defect maybe? Or maybe he shaved them?

He bit his lip in thought. That last one wouldn't make any sense because honestly who in their right mums would shave off their eyebrows? The eyebrows were what made your face expressive. Without them you just like like you were constipated or something.

"Sirzechs! Can you _please_ remember to refrain from thinking out loud especially when the one you're talking about is standing not 10 feet away from you and brandishing a giant sword," Ajuka explained expressly because Zabuza was in the midst of drawing his weapon.

Sirzechs took notice and frantically waved his hands in front of him. "Oh no, I am so sorry," he apologized. His hands went to rub the back of his neck embarrassingly, "I just, uh haven't seen many people without eyebrows," he finished timidly as a massive violet spectre appeared behind Zabuza at his words. A giant gaping mouth lined with sharp white teeth glared at him with fiery crimson eyes. It's mouth cackled with the sound of crunching bones, and Sirzechs swore to the original Lucifer himself that he saw himself in its mouth.

Ajuka stared, bewildered at it. Glasses appeared on his face as did a pad and pencil in his hands. He began writing down observations on the creature that had manifested itself. Did it come from his magical power? How did he harness it in such a way? Was it corporeal or was it just an illusion? So many questions, but so little time.

He put his glasses, pad, and pencil away… for now, and focused on fixing this.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat and repressed the urge to catalog everything about the spectacle happening. "I would like to apologize on behalf of Sirzechs. He still hasn't learned not to put his foot in his mouth."

The bestial manifestation shrunk until it melded back into Zabuza. Ajuka couldn't help but mentally take a note of that. Perhaps it was a summon of some sort or maybe a familiar?

Zabuza sucked his teeth. "Tch," he crossed his arms across his chest. "Make sure it doesn't happen again."

If it were anyone else trying him in the way the red haired Sirzechs was, he'd split them in half, but Serafall had told him about the leadership of the Anti-Satan Faction. From what he gathered about her descriptions, she was spot on.

A nerd, a sloth, and a fool. Well, she hadn't said that exactly, but that's what Zabuza interpreted. The other thing he could sense was that they were all powerful.

Monstrously so.

It was almost stifling the way their power filled the room like the air itself. He not be a sensor, but after being a missing-nin for so long he gained a sixth sense for strength.

And these guys had it in spades. It was like being in the presence of a Kage or an Bijuu, minus the formalities or the mindless bloodthirst respectively. They were leaders for a reason, so Zabuza would put up with it.

There was always more than meets the eye.

"Yes, right. Since you seem to be a straight to the point kind of Devil, that's what we'll do," Ajuka began. "Firstly, we would like to thank you for being there for Serafall where we couldn't be. She is critical to the war effort and us as a person. She has become an admired as well as feared individual within the Underworld, and it would have reaped an unrecoverable toll had she been captured or worse."

"Yes, Sir Momochi," Sirzechs added in an uncharacteristically serious tone of voice. He knew there was a time for a games and a time to be serious. This was the latter. "Serfall is irreplaceable as a person and an ally, so we extend our most sincerest of gratitudes as the leaders of the Anti-Satan Faction. In no uncertain terms do I say that we owe you."

Zabuza bowed at the waist. Formalities and such. "I appreciate the gratitude and thanks, but it was nothing," really it wasn't, "I just saw someone in danger and decided to help."

A new one for him for sure. Honestly, it didn't make him feel like any better of a person.

He unfolded at the waist. He hated bowing, but I'm situations like these that carried that air of professionalism there were formal expectations to be met. Just because he didn't give a shit doesn't mean he couldn't give one.

Ajuka quirked an eyebrow at the slip, but let it go. More and more questions.

Ajuka hmmd at that but nodded. "Yes, and we are glad you hold such honorable values," he shook his head a little. "It has been too long since we've seen a Devil extending a hand to help instead of harm."

Sirzechs nodded to that solemnly. "This conflict has made monsters out of us, more so than usual. If only there were more with your attitude."

An idea struck him with all the force of an ice blast from Grayfia. He gained a gleam in his eye. A gleam that didn't go unnoticed by the two awake occupants in the room.

Zabuza had a foreboding sense inch it's way into his mind, and he went over the words Sirzechs just said.

He figured out what that gleam meant.

"Join us!""No chance!"

The outburst ruffled a sleeping Falbium, but didn't wake him.

Sirzechs rolled his eyes at the quick denial. "You didn't give me a chance to try and convince you."

Zabuza beckoned him to. "Alright, you can try."

Sirzechs smiled wide. He'd only need one chance. He opened his mouth to speak-

"No."

-And deflated at the denial.

"Oh, c'mon-"

"No."

"You aren't even-"

"No."

"Letting me finish my-"

"No."

"My sentences."

There was a pause.

Zabuza quirked an eyebrow. "You finished with your sentence?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Oh c'mon!" Sirzechs whined loudly. He took a breath and focused. "It is attitudes like yours. The ones that help their fellow Devil instead of looking at them with suspicion or fear. We need that, desperately," he added on.

Ajuka took note of his tone voice. He heard the passion in it and let him continue. Zabuza seemed adamant in his refusal, but if there was anyone that could convince him, Sirzechs was.

Sirzechs seemed to age before their eyes. His shoulders sagged and his usually fiery hair wilted. Zabuza took one look at him, and knew what he was feeling.

He was tired.

"We only know how to fight. As a species, as Devils we are made for conflict. We thrive in it. Fighting, battle it's all we know how to really do. We are a people of fighters, of warriors because the environment we live in doesn't allow us to be anything less. It is not nice, it is not safe, but it is ours. There is a culture of violence that has been cultivated. A bloody way of life that allows no one who is not a fighter to survive, but I wish to change that," he motioned to himself, Ajuka, and Falbium. "We wish to change that. I wish to create a place where Devils can be what they want. Where they are free to choose how they wish to live and love. Where they can decide if they want to settle down and have a family instead of being rushed off to fight age old battles. Where sons and daughters aren't killed before they're even fully matured yet. Where mothers and fathers don't have to bury their children before they even get the chance to live! I want to give everyone the choice to grow old and die in comfort of their labs," he indicated to Ajuka here, "or in their sleep," to Falbium, "or with the ones they love," to Grayfia, "not just on the battlefield. Forgotten as just another number or body. I want a place for children to grow up and be children. I want to give them something I never, what we never got."

Sirzechs straightened his spine and stood straight up and looked Zabuza in the eye. "I wish to create an Underworld where Devils don't only know how to hurt, but to help. Just like you did with Serafall. So, I ask of you Zabuza Momochi," he walked up to him and held out his hand to shake. "Will you help us end this war and create an Underworld future Devils can live how they choose to?"

Zabuza stared at him then at the hand. He knew war. He knew fighting, he knew thriving in it, he knew everything Sirzechs had just spoke about because it was him. It was where he grew up in Kiri. He didn't have a choice on how he lived his was already decided before he was even born. The strong survived and the weak were gutted and left on the street to rot, and no one batted an eye.

He didn't bat an eye.

He slaughtered his whole class, and he didn't bat an eye. He killed people, people who sometimes had families, who were innocent and didn't bat an eye. He was a weapon who only knew how to kill people. His hands were meant for mangling, not mending. It was what he knew, it was his whole life and it would be his death…

…but…

He blinked and he was back in his dying body staring at a dead Haku. He looked so peaceful. The boy deserved better than he got. He was too soft, too kind. He wasn't fit for the life of a shinobi, but life took away his chance to choose.

He blinked and he was on the rainy dirt road where he found a tiny, frail boy. Dirty, weak, yet defiant in the face of death. Smiling at him. Zabuza shouldn't have cared about him. He'd be yet another child loss to Yagura's utterly ruthless and unintelligent purging of those with a bloodline. He should've kept moving, he should've put the boy out of his misery…

…he shouldn't have bat an eye at him.

But he did, and Zabuza couldn't find it within himself to regret that decision. To help Haku. To help that frail boy who no one gave a shit about, he decided to give a shit. He decided to do what no one did for him and help.

His bond with the boy grew deeper than he wished, but even as Haku became stronger, Zabuza knew he wasn't fit for the violent life of a shinobi. He was too kind, too sentimental.

The sound of chirping birds filled his ears.

Look at where that got him. Dead. He knew what Haku would tell him to do in this situation. To help give others what he, what they never had.

A choice.

Yet still he hesitated. His ninja instincts screamed at him to be cautious. To look for the underlying implications of him joining hands with the literal devil. His humanity was revolting in disgust at the mere thought of it.

"What do you have to lose, Sir Momochi?"

He looked to the lazy voice who asked him the question. The bald sleeping man, Falbium his name was, had awoken sometime and was staring at him through half lidded eyes looking as if he was ready to fall back to sleep at any moment. Zabuza absorbed the question posed, narrowing his eyes at the groggy looking man.

There was no denying the tint of intelligence hidden in those dark eyes. He was almost like those shadow wielders from Konoha. Lazy but scary smart and tactical. He had run into a few of them in his Black-Ops days, and this man reminded him of one of them.

It made sense that he asked the question now. It was a calculated one because for all intents and purposes, he had nothing _to_ lose. He had no legitimate reason, and he realized that as did the Devil it seemed.

To make a deal with the devil?

He gazed one last time at the smiling man holding his hand out to him, a hopeful almost desperate look in his eyes.

He shook the hand and sealed the deal.

He had already sold his soul a long time ago.

* * *

Serafall sat in the medical cot as a few doctors looked over her poking and prodding. Asking her questions to get a general idea of what her condition is. If the pain she felt was somewhere between 1 and 10, and blah blah blah blah blah blah BLAH!

"Ow!" She rubbed her arm as the tiny spot which was pinched stung. A chuckle was heard and she glared at the dead man that decided to pinch her, Serafall Sitri, heiress to the Sitri Family and professional ass-kicker.

"Sirzechs!" she interjected over his laughing. "Why did you pinch me? You know I hate getting pinched."

"Well, you weren't paying attention when we called your name the first 5 times," he said and shrugged. "I had to take more dramatic measures."

"Drastic my left ass cheek. How about I pinch you and see how you like it?" She threatened and made a pinch motion with her fingers. She also had sharp nails that Sirzechs took careful note of.

His smile fell. "You wouldn't dare."

She smiled maliciously. "Try me tomato-head."

"Grr," Sirzechs growled at the nickname. It was dumb and totally inaccurate. Tomatoes were of a different shade of red than his hair. He checked!

"Pfft, tomato-head?" Zabuza snickered under his breath.

That just incensed Sirzechs further and he glared at Serafall with destruction in his eyes. Oh she would pay for this.

Serafall's eyes jumped to the snickering coming from the corner of her temporary medical room, and her eyes brightened at seeing her giant sword wielding savior.

"Zabu-tan!" She cheered with a wide smile on her face.

"Zabu-what?"

Sirzechs, still ready to get Serafall back for calling him tomato-head, felt a hand on his shoulder stop him from taking his righteous vengeance, and Ajuka motioned for him to calm down.

"Alright, alright everyone settle down," he turned to Serafall. "Sirzechs was right, though, we have been trying to get your attention for a while now."

Serafall just shrugged. "You guys know how boring doctors are. I kind of zoned out hehe," she giggled.

"We see that," Ajuka deadpanned. "But now, since we have your attention, we have some news for you."

Serafall nodded and sat up straighter in the bed.

"Zabuza here has agreed to join our side in this civil war," he said.

Serafall gasped and her eyes lit up.

No, literally. There were stars in her eyes.

"Zabu-tan," she said in delight.

"That's not my name!" He interjected back but it went unheard.

"You decided to help us. Aww, I knew you were a big softie underneath all that angst," she gushed at him.

Zabuza scoffed. "I am not angsty. You are just overly cheerful," he rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall. "But yes, I decided to join you lot in this war. You have tomato-head over there to thank for it," he said smiling mockingly at the now angry Sirzechs.

Serafall turned to Sirzechs and smiled knowingly. "You gave him the whole speech, didn't you?"

"Hehe, guilty as charged."

"Alright, well," Ajuka interjected. "The doctors say the electricity has been purged out of your system and that your injuries are only minor and have already healed."

"Pfft, _I_ could've told you that much, Ajuka," Serafall said.

"So," Ajuka continued as if he heard not a word from Serafall. "you've been cleared and are free to join us."

"Yay!" Serafall cheered and jumped off the bed. "We're back in business!"

"Uhh, Serafall?" Sirzechs began.

"Yeah?"

"You don't have on any pants."

"I know. They tried to give me some uncomfortable pants, but I said no. Serafall Sitri wears what she wants."

"So, you decided to not wear any pants?"

"Exactly."

Cue Ajuka facepalm and Sirzechs sigh.

"Let's just go."

That began exiting the room, not noticing the slightly red cheeks of one said wielding ninja. He shook his head to clear the image of a pants-less Serafall from his head and followed them.

She had some nice legs.

A now fully clothed Serafall, she kept spares in the estate just for situations like these, sat down on her chair and spun around in it as the others took their seats.

Ajuka and Sirzechs on one side of the table and Zabuza next to Serafall.

"Soooo," Serafall extended as she spun in the chair. "How's it hanging Falbi-tan? You're excited as usual?"

She stopped spinning for a moment to look at the still sleeping man and nodded while giggling.

"You can barely contain yourself I see. You wild Devil you," she giggled.

She received a snore in return and get giggles turned into full blown laughter.

She turned her attention to the awake party in the room and skooted towards the table more.

"Alright, so what do we got? Any missions, operations, reports, anything?" she asked rapidly towards Ajuka.

Ajuka sighed. "You're going to have to wake Falbium for any real updates. I am too busy in the lab most of the time, Sirzechs is dealing with trying to garner support from the other pillars that are on the fence, and you've been out," he explained. "Falbium would have something new for you since you're back in one piece."

Serafall groaned. "But you know how lazy he is. It'll take forever to get him up."

"Actually," A tired voice drawled out and caught everyone's attention, "I've been up this whole time."

Falbium yawned once and stretched in his chair until he heard a few satisfying cracks. He snapped his fingers and a file dropped into the long table. He waved his hand over it and it duplicated into five. Four of them slid over to the ones who hadn't yet read it.

"With the addition of our friend here, I believe this is the perfect opportunity to kill two harpies with one blast so to speak," he said to the table.

Zabuza pondered the idiom. That wasn't how it went, right?

"What do you mean, Falbium?" Sirzechs wondered as he took his file.

Falbium beckoned them to open the folders and spoke as they did, "As of a month ago, Ruval Phenex, heir to the Phenex family went missing," he paused at Serafall's shocked gasp and let the news sink in before continuing. "The family came to the conclusion that he may have snuck off to join the war efforts without them knowing. He was of age and of high magical power, and had exhibited a desire to fight. The only reason they didn't allow him to was because the Phenex's, for all intents and purposes, are trying to stay neutral in this war due the almost obsessive desire Devils have with their abilities, namely their tears."

Zabuza couldn't hold the confused look from growing on his face. Serafall noticed and explained for him.

"They say Phenex tears can heal any and all wounds. From minor to life threatening, their tears are filled with powerful healing properties that'll turn someone on deaths door into a fresh flower," she shrugged. "Or at least that's what my parents told me."

Ajuka nodded his head. "I have seen them in action and can attest to their power and usefulness. They are one of the most wanted substances in the Underworld for their healing properties," he added on.

"Exactly. The Phenex's know this, so they have stayed out of the fighting and on their grounds for the duration of the war. They assumed their power and standing was enough of a deterrent for either side to try anything, but they assumed wrong," Falbium went on to explain. "A few days after his disappearance, the Lord Phenex received a ransom note for his son from the Old-Satan Faction asking for several crates of Phenex tears and supplies for the safe return of their son. The note gave them a month to comply to the demands before they promised to 'test the immortality of the Phenex'."

Falbium yawned heavily before continuing. "In the dossier you will find a copy of that note and all of the knowledge we have, fact and myth, about the Phenex's and a picture of the heir Phenex. The message was signed by the Old-Satan Faction confirming their involvement. It has been 20 days since then, giving them 10 days until a month is up," he told them.

There was a heavy silence as what he said was digested by the other four. Emotions ranging from shock to anger to curiosity were arranged on their faces.

"How did you learn all of this Falbium?" Sirzechs asked. "There is no way your spy network could obtain this much detail in such little time."

Falbium nodded at that. "You'd be right Sirzechs if not for Lord Phenex contacting me himself and giving me all of the info yesterday."

"WHAT?!" Sirzechs burst out. "You've been sitting on this for a whole day without telling any of us? We could've been doing something to rescue Ruval!"

"Why didn't you tell us, Falbium?" Ajuka asked calmly as opposed to Sirzechs anger. There was more to it than him just not telling them.

"I did not tell you the day I learned of it because I wanted to make sure we weren't being fooled," he stated used to Sirzechs outbursts by now. "For all I knew the Anti-Satan Faction had already gotten ahold of the Phenex Clan and were going to use this as a method to draw us out of our stronghold to end the war. We couldn't have that, so I stayed up all last night doing some research about the keep and the situation. I collected every scrap of data, information, even rumours on this keep before compiling a dossier for you all to read," he said indicated to the folder in their hands.

Sirzechs sat back down with a sheepish look on his face. "I apologize Falbium for doubting you."

Falbium just waved it off. "Eh, I know how troublesome you can get Sirzechs. I predicted your reaction already anyways," he yawned again. "Back to the mission, I collected everything I could and confirmed with my spies that the heir Phenex is being held in Andras Keep under the watchful eye of Lord Andras himself. This makes it more troublesome as the Andras Clan specialize in the suppression of magic more than anything. From my contact within the Keep it is basically impenetrable. Several high powered wards surround the Keep ranging from Anti-teleportation to Intent to Disintegration. It is locked up tight, and that's not even the end of its defenses," he paused and prepared for the outburst this would illicit. "They're using the Low Class and Mid Class-Devils as slaves and using their magical power to power the wards around the Keep."

"WHAT!" Serafall raged.

"Those bastards!" Sirzechs growled out angrily.

"They're using Devils, their own people, as glorified batteries!" Serafall spat angrily. "We need to do something Falbium."

"We can't go blow down the doors of the Keep. It's not that simple this time around," he said patiently.

"What do you mean?" Serafall asked, a feeling a dread pooling inside of her.

Falbium sighed and rubbed his goatee. "If we were to perform a direct assault on the Keep and overpower the wards, the resulting backlash would kill every single Devil hooked up to the system. That'd be over a 400 Devils dead because of our arrogance."

Serafall sat in her chair heavily and put her head in her hands. She slowly shook it as she went over possibility after possibility of what to do to rescue those innocent Devils. How could anybody do this? Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes as she pictured the utter horror they must be going through.

They had to be able to do something!

"So what do you suggest we do, Falbium?" Ajuka asked heavily. He didn't like the situation as much as Serafall, as much as any of them did, but for Falbium to bring it up he had to have a plan. He wouldn't waste his breathe otherwise.

Falbium opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by Zabuza answering for him.

"We have to sneak in," Zabuza answered gruffly. "If the direct approach won't work then you go indirect. It's basic tactics."

Zabuza already knew where this was going and glared lightly at the bald man.

"Correct, Sir Momochi. We need to sneak into the Keep, disable the ward system, find Ruval Phenex, and get out of there with him alive," Falbium said. "Now, I would've had one of us go under a heavy glamour illusion with magic suppression seals to make us look like a Low or Mid-Class Devil, but…"

"But since I'm here, you don't need any of that," Zabuza finished for him tartly. He slid the folder away from him in anger. "You want me to infiltrate this highly defended Keep impersonating a Low Class- Devil, figure out how to turn off their little defense system, figure out where they're holding this Phenex boy, and get out with him and I in one piece," he said tightly. "I barely know you and I already don't like you."

Zabuza stared down Falbium. The man resolutely gazed right back at him.

"Wait, Zabuza," Serafall began warily. "You can't do this. It's basically suicide for anyone that isn't an Ultimate Class-Devil or an infiltration specialist," she warned him.

"No, but it's better for me, a new no-name Devil to try and fail than someone more important, isn't that right?" Zabuza asked bitterly to Falbium.

The rest of the table turned to look at the tired bald man who just nodded yes to the question. "You are right. It is the smartest option," he said to the angry glare he was receiving. "But you have the skills necessary for it."

Zabuza growled at the man before slapping a hand down on the table, cracking it. "How would you know what I'm capable of?"

"The way you are built and the way your present yourself for one thing," Falbium replied back. "You walk on your toes, utterly masking the sound your footsteps make. That speaks of stealth training for you to be doing it naturally. It clashes with the image of the giant sword on your back, which I hypothesize is for quick kills and intimidation rather than prolonged combat due to its probable heavy weight and stamina usage. Along with that is your eyes," he points out easily. "They dart to each exit when you enter a room, almost as if you're looking for the quickest exit or entry point to slip in or out of. All of this together create the picture of a highly skilled infiltration specialist, wouldn't you agree?" He finally asked with a raised brow.

Sirzechs looked from Falbium to Zabuza before scratching his head in confusion. "You know Falbium, I still don't get how you do that."

Falbium smirked. "Practice."

Serafall looked on, jaw dropped at the analysis Falbium just dropped on all of their heads. She was coming to a conclusion herself, but to see and hear Falbium's blew whatever ideas she had out of the water.

Ajuka looked on impressed. He was wondering why Falbium was fake acting like he was sleep when Zabuza was introduced. He was getting a read on him. Typical of the master tactician.

Zabuza narrowed his eyes at the assessment before sitting back down in his chair. He smiled sardonically showing his sharp teeth. "You really are the genius Serafall said you were," he leaned back in his chair. "So, I'm in. Just tell me the plan you've worked out in that brain of yours, baldy and let's get this show on the road."

Falbium nodded and yawned again. "Great. I have come up with a plan that if pulled off correctly will get you and Ruval out in one piece."

"I'm listening," Zabuza said with a hint of excitement.

"Well first, you're going to have to get captured," Falbium began.

* * *

Their cage door unlocked and was swung open. A little girl peeked her head out from behind a dirty old man wearing nothing but a tattered pair of pants. He held his hand out to stop the girl from moving forward. Sudden movements got you beaten.

"Grah!" the guard grunted as he and his partner threw the fresh face in with the rest of the trash. He dusted off his hands and laughed as the man hit the ground in a heap.

He nudged his partner and they chuckled together.

"That'll teach ya to try and mess with your betters," he said and spat at him. His partner laughed even harder at that.

The two turned around, job done, closed the door and locked it back again before sauntering off, chuckling to each other.

The occupants of the cell, a little girl, an old man, an old lady and two teenage boys stared perplexed at the seemingly unconscious body that was thrown in with them. He was beaten down to say the least. Bruises littered his skin and his clothes torn from what they could only assume was a brutal one sided beating. The kind they knew all too well.

The older lady was the first to snap out of her stupor and snapped at the two boys to get their attention. "Alright, stop gawking at the poor bastard and help him up," she told them. "Lucifer knows how hurt he is. C'mon, let's help him."

The two boys hobbled over and flipped the tall man over. It was once his back hit the cobblestone floor that his eyes snapped open and he shot up gasping for air.

The two boys shuffled back and away from the gasping man until they were in the same as the rest of the denizens of the cell. For a few moments no one did a thing as the man seemed to regain his bearings and breath.

His spiky hair swung around his his head moved with his eyes to take in his new place of residence.

The older man gulped and took a wary step forward. The old woman looked at him as if he was crazy for getting close, but he waved her off. His senses were telling him he was in no danger this time. He tapped the little girl hiding behind him and she got the message and ran over to the old lady.

The old man took one step before stopping cold as the man swung around to look at all of them. The old man suppressed a flinch at the wild eyes that gazed at them before they settled into something tamer.

"Y-you alright there, son?" He stammered out. "They seemed to have done a number on ya before tossing ya in here."

The man grimaced and looked down at his tattered clothes and bruised body before shrugging.

"I've has worse, old man," his rough deep voice answered. "Now, you mind telling me where I ended up after those bastards ambushed and kidnapped me?"

The old man didn't answer for a moment, regarding the stranger with a wary eye. It was the old lady who answered.

"You're in Andras Keep, or as some of us like to call it, the shithole," she answered tartly.

"Yvonne!" The old man hissed at her in warning, but she waved him off.

"Oh, cool it ya old sac. There ain't no guards around to hear what I gots ta say about this place so stop ya worryin," she said to him.

She looked at the bruised stranger before throwing a hand towards the old man. "The worry wart over there is my husband, Kislev Earlen, and I'm Yvonne Earlen," she pointed to the two boys, "These are the twins, Rory and Tori. No last name there willin ta claim," she patted the head of the little girl hiding behind her hip. "This little cutie's name is Hush. Why? Because she doesn't speak a lick."

The old lady regarded the stranger with a calculating look in her eyes before continuing.

"Now, you're introduced to ya roommates in this shit hole, mind letting us know ya name there, slim?" she asked him while keeping a calming hand around Hush's shoulders.

"My name isn't slim," the stranger replied back lowly. He began to get up and everyone scampered away as he extended to his full height. He stretched out and they winced at the cracks that reverberated throughout the cell.

At his full height the stranger was intimidating

His head almost touched the roof of the cell, his broad shoulders blocked the entire cell door, and his clearly muscular figure cut an intimidating picture to them all. His presence filled the cell and they huddled together in the corner with the old man standing defiantly in front of all of them.

The stranger leaned his head down to look at them before smiling, revealing to them a mouthful of sharpened teeth.

"Name is Zabuza Momochi. Remember it cause I'm only going to tell you it once," he asserted. "Now," he plopped back onto the floor unceremoniously. "What can you tell me about this Keep?"

The two oldest exchanged wary looks, a silent conversation going between the two of them. This stranger had arrived not unlike any of them had, but he carried himself like he wasn't trapped here for the rest of his life.

Something gave between the two of them, and the old man sighed.

"Fine," he relented. "I'll tell him. I don't know what good it'll do. He's gonna end up just like the rest of the ones with attitudes like his."

Zabuza took interest in that. "What others like me, old man?"

The old man scoffed and sat on the hard floor cross legged on front of Zabuza.

"The ones that come in here with a chip on their shoulder," he answered.

Zabuza took in the old man before him, his tired gaze, and fragile looking body. He could only guess how long he'd been here.

"Ones like you that are thrown in here and think they're tough shit. The ones that bring trouble to the rest us that are just trying to live for as long as we got in this place," he said with a bit of anger. "I've seen too many Devils broken by this place, boy. Pride doesn't mean shit in here. _You_ don't mean shit in here. A strong looking Devil like you is just going to end up in The Pit."

That peaked Zabuza's interest. He made it sound important in here.

"What's that?" He asked.

The old man sighed and ran a hand through his grey dirty shoulder length hair.

"The Pit is the glorified murder arena they disguise as a way out of here for those strong enough," he spat out. Zabuza paid rapt attention as he began to explain. "They take the ones who resist, who still go on with hope, who still act like they have a life, and they put them in The Pit to fight until they die with the promise of freedom. But there ain't no freedom," he scoffed in anger. "It ain't a way out of this place. The ones who go never come out the same. Why? Because it's where they _break_ you, boy. The overseer here holds a gladiator style arena in here. Let's us kill each other while he watches for fun, and the ones that survive he turns into his personal enforcers down here."

"It's a vicious cycle down here, son," the woman spoke up softy. "We just don't want to see you caught up in it like the last one was."

Zabuza hmmd at that. "He make it?"

She shook her head. "No."

"They rarely do," the old man began again. "We're all just Low Class-Devils anyways. We're lucky enough to still be alive in this place," he grumbled.

The woman scoffed. "Yeah, lucky."

A plan began to form in Zabuza's head. He only needed one answer.

"How do I get in this Pit?" He asked them.

"You didn't listen to a word I said, boy? Nothing? Just went in one ear and out the other?" The man retorted. He gave him a hard stare. "Don't. Try it. Have some common sense."

The woman looked at Zabuza with an almost pleading tint in her eyes. "Don't go looking for trouble, son. You'll find that the kind of trouble down here will eat you up and shit you back out," she said softly.

"If he wants to go die, I say let him," one of the twins finally spoke up.

"Yeah, let him go. He'll end up just like the rest of em. No skin off our back if he's wishin' for deaf," the other one added boldly.

"It's death, Rory," the old man corrected almost automatically.

"I don't care, old man. All me and Tori are sayin is that if he wants to go off and die, let him. He's takin up enough space in here anyways," he said with a spiteful scowl look in Zabuza's direction.

Zabuza growled at the two boys and bared his sharp teeth at them. They hunched behind the old woman in fear.

Zabuza scowled. "Damn, brats," he muttered underneath his breath.

"But they're right," the man said. "To try what you're thinking is to send yourself to an early grave. I've seen too many young ones try it and end up dead."

"Well, I'm not one of those weaklings," he replied back forcefully. "I'm getting outta this place if it's the last thing I do. If I die, so what? I'd rather die in The Pit fighting for my freedom then live in this cell like a fucking rat," he spat out heatedly.

The old man sighed. "Is it so bad to want to live?"

"This ain't living, old man," Zabuza said and shook his head. "You're alive, you're hearts beating, but you aren't living. You're just being used like a tool, and once you run out of usefulness you're just gonna get thrown away…and that isn't anyway to live. To live as a tool is to not live at all," he finished softly.

Haku flashed in his mind's eye as he said that. He used Haku as a tool, and didn't get the chance to tell him that he was more than that to him, more than just a tool.

"You think we have a choice?" The old man snarled. "Look at us? Look! A washed up old man and woman, and three vulnerable kids! We have no choice, but to be tools," he hissed at him. "We're not strong. We're weak," he pointed a finger to the outside. "They're the ones with all the power. They're the strong ones. That is the reality here. It's the reality we've accepted. The sooner you do that, the longer your life will be," he finished bitterly.

For a minute there was nothing, but silence. The old man sighed his wife put a supportive hand on his shoulder. He looked back at her and smiled appreciably. He looked back at the now quiet Zabuza, and gave him a sad stare.

"There's no fighting this, can't you see that?" The old man pressed. "We can't fight this. There is no hope, no dreams for a better future," he shrugged helplessly. "They took that from us. This war going on isn't going to change that. They're too strong. It'd be better for you to just…give it up."

The old man sighed sadly at the young man's bowed head and drooped shoulders. He hated giving newcomers the reality check, but it was better coming from him than one of the guards beating on them until they were black and blue. It was better than being put in The Box and it was better than them dying for no reason. Their captors, their masters were just too powerful. Too plentiful. There was no room for hope here.

He reached over to place a hand on the young man's shoulder, and recoiled when it was batted away.

"Wha-"

"I refuse to accept that," Zabuza began. He slowly raised his head and the old man got a full look at the resolute determination behind them. They screamed defiance, a will to live beyond this cell. He swore they flickered with a violet color before returning to their dark coloring.

"I refuse to accept that because if I give up then it'd be giving up on the one I'm trying to do right by," he revealed. "The one person who taught me everything I was missing. The one who showed me kindness when all I knew was hate. The one who showed me compassion when all I knew was apathy. The one who gave their life for mine, and I refuse to squander it," he swiped his hand through the air and clenched his fist. "The world was undeserving of a soul like him, and it tore his heart in two to fight, but he fought. He fought and sacrificed for what he believed in, and to not do the same would be to spit on his memory and I won't do that!"

Zabuza looked at the arranged Devils in front of him with a look of utter determination.

"A man told me once he had a dream where future Devils would get a chance to live their lives the way they choose to. To decide for themselves how they wish to live," he said repeating the words Sirzechs convinced him with. "It is a dream I fight for. A dream that I will help realize cuz the one who sacrificed for me was never given a choice. He isn't here to believe, so I'll believe in his stead."

He raised his fist and put it to his chest where his heart beat powerfully, where it beat proudly. He smiled dangerously. "He was kind, but me? I'm a killer. All I know how to do is fight, so that's what I'm going to do. I'm gonna rip that bastards head from his shoulders, and anyone else's that get in my way until I'm free," he finished and laughed darkly.

He looked at the now frightened Devils across from him. "How's that for giving up old man?"

The old man gazed upon the crazed young man, and couldn't help but believe he was capable of doing exactly what he said. It's why he chose to tell him how to get put in The Pit.

* * *

A/N:

With this chapter, I really wanted to set up the next few and give you guys a glimpse at the kind of mentality Zabuza has going for him right now. Currently, he is prospectively trying to incorporate some of the values Haku had during his life in his own to honor him in a way and to try something new basically. While he is slowly changing some of his beliefs, he is still the same savage, rip your throat out, blunt, kick ass Zabuza we all know. So, is he still cold in some instances? Yes, he was never a nice guy, but he will be doing more "good" things until they become a part of him and less a kind of 'What would Haku do?' deal. He has learned things like pain, sorrow, compassion, and is learning empathy due to Haku's death. The Civil War Arc will change Zabuza because he is unknowingly trying to by honoring Haku the way he is. He believes in Sirzechs dream because it is a repentance of sorts. He was never given a choice as a Shinobi, so for he is trying to give others that freedom. So, he joined forces. He knows how to work on a team, he was a part of the Seven Swordsmen, and brings a wildcard factor to this war. No one really knows what he can do, but oh boy are they about to find out.

To address the differences between Chakra and Magic, I feel like magic i lighter and more malleable than Chakra. It runs through the same pathways, but it moves faster, and is more flexible. From what I have seen from the anime there really isn't a limit to it. Like it isn't really a hard magic system in place in the anime, but they do get tired from the physical aspect of it all. Like moving, dodging, exerting themselves and etc etc. So, that means that the better shape you're in, the longer you can last in a fight just like in Avatar the Last Airbender, love that show so much. Their power grew as their bodies grew. The magical power level in the anime I interpret as the potential you hold. How much capacity for magic does you body have the potential to funnel out. Some have more, some have less. Again, with A:TLA, you had regular people with no potential like Sokka but then you had Katara's who could freaking blood bend. It's about potential.

Any further questions, comments, and or concerns about anything you can review and ask or PM me and I'll answer them, but beyond that enjoy the chapter.


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